Just Another Night
by Sassiersphinx81
Summary: Modern times, AU. Dating is hard. Really hard! Between crazy women, brooding people, long hours at work, having a social life is tough.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everyone! Sassiersphinx here again with something completely different. Modern times, AU, with a few of my OC'S coming back to play. I missed a few of them, and they have been yelling at me to come back… Yeah, that sounded a little insane. But anyway, Desmond and Ezio are roommates, Malik and Altair are best friends, and Kadar lives with Malik. Many more will join the group in their exploits. **

Desmond Miles didn't know if it was a good thing, or a really bad thing when Ezio Auditore leaned over him, shit eating grin threatening to split his face. Normally when the Italian was looking like that it involved one of two things. Pain, on his end, and a party, which he was the residing bartender. Either one did not bode well for him, because none of it would pay his bills, and the last time he went to a party with Ezio he ended up in jail with a big ape of a man that wanted him to be his boyfriend. Uh, uh, no sir, ain't happening this time.

"Oh Desmond!" Ezio's voice left his lips in a sing song way that made Desmond cringe in true fear. That was never a good sign.

Trying to play it cool, and not show fear to his roommate, who truthfully, terrified the shit out of him when he was in a pleasantly good mood, he gave his best poker face. "Yes Ezio?" His voice stayed neutral, which he was thankful for and he now was glad for all those late night poker games with Malik and Altair. Those two could stare down the mafia with a straight face. Honestly, it was creepy how they managed it!

"You need to get out of the apartment. I know this friend…" and that was all it took.

"Oh no! Nope. Nada. Not going to happen. And just to make sure we're clear, not in a million years." Pushing past the guy so he could stand, Desmond began to make his way back to his room, hoping Ezio would give up. "Last time cost me a night in jail, a ticket for drunk and disorderly, and mine, yours, and Altair's lovely matching scars."

But lucky wasn't something he would ever call himself. Because the pest that was Ezio followed like a fly, buzzing around his ear, talking about this party with girls, and booze, and some things that would make a porn star blush. Tuning him out was hard, but he began to think about school, work, and the hot blonde who liked to come in on Saturday just to flirt with him. Yeah, when she popped into his brain, Ezio was long gone.

Then something solid connected with his face, and when his vision came back, he was staring at Ezio from his back, nose throbbing along with a particular spot on his forehead. "What the hell?"

The Italian was holding onto the wall, tears coming from his eyes, as he bit his lip to stop from laughing. But then the dam broke, and peals of laughter came from his mouth. Breathing became optional as between the laughs, he could hear Ezio gasping for oxygen.

"What the hell did you do?" Desmond asked as he sat up, feeling something warm dribble from his nostril. Placing his finger right above his lip, felt warm liquid flow onto the digit. Wiping it away, the American saw crimson blood on finger, causing the other man to laugher harder than he already was. "What the hell happened?"

"You (gasp) walked (snicker) into the wall!" Ezio managed to get out, trying his damnedest to breathe, but failing miserably. His tan face was shades of red from lack of oxygen.

Cupping his hand over his now bloody nose, Desmond pushed past his roommate in an effort to get to the bathroom. Lucky was not something he would call himself, and thinking of that woman made him do stupid things. Like walk into walls to avoid Ezio.

Managing his best glare, Desmond growled. "I hate you." And slammed the door in his face.

After wiping the blood from his face, and twisting some toilet paper into the bleeding nostril, he washed his hands, and came out only to find a gaggle of people in the middle of his living room. Altair Ibn-La'Ahad looked at him, sighed, and smacked the Italian upside the head. "What did you do to him this time, moron?"

Grabbing his wounded head, Ezio whimpered. "I did nothing! Damn! He tried to walk away from me when I was talking about the party, and the next thing I know, he does a face plant into the wall. I had nothing to do with it!"

Malik Al-Sayf snickered from his place in the recliner, arms gathered behind his head. "Looks like you smacked the wrong moron, Novice. Get the facts before you go around delving out punishment."

"I'm getting really sick of that nickname, Mal." Altair bunched up his fist, threatening to hit his best friend of like forever. "I'm gonna smack the shit out of you in like five seconds!"

Kadar, Malik's younger brother, looked from the raging man, to his smirking brother. "Do you really have to start again? The argument you tow had before we left wasn't enough?"

Desmond rolled his eyes as Altair stalked towards Malik, who sat in the chair like nothing was going wrong. Deciding he didn't want to replace any more furniture, and grabbed the other man by the arm. "Can you not do it in here? Small space, and I'm really tired of my neighbor complaining."

Shaun Hasting, his annoying history major neighbor, complained about the smallest shit. The placement of the doormat, the hours he came in from work, the volume of the television when the game came on. It was enough to make him want to strangle the guy, or wish they were back in a time to where he could get away with murdering him. Yeah, that would work. It was such a nice idea.

Altair glared at him with those creepy amber eyes of his, but backed down. "I'll beat your ass later, Mal."

Another snicker came from Malik. "You and what army? I could take your ass with one hand tied behind my back."

Desmond's day was not looking up. Truth be told all he wanted was a few peaceful hours on his day off. Was that too much to ask for? Really? Massaging the pain in his temple, he sighed. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately. "What are you guys doing here?" He finally asked.

Kadar stood, and smiled. "Ezio called and asked if I wanted to go to a party. Of course I said yes, but then brother dearest," and thumbed at Malik with a frown overtaking his face, "overheard, and told me that I wasn't allowed to go to a party that Ezio was going to be at alone. So, he came with me to play designated driver."

His eyes went to Altair, who was now sitting in one of the dining room chairs, backwards with his arms resting on the back. "How did you get dragged along?" Altair could barely stand being anywhere Ezio was, so having them at the same party was a recipe for disaster.

"My car. Malik walked out to a flat, and I, unfortunately, walked out at the wrong time." He grumbled, his chin resting on his arms. "I should have stayed at home."

"Please!" Malik snorted. "You're hoping to dodge the brunette again. You know, the one that insulted your manhood, and called you a jackass all in one minute. I liked her!"

Ezio, forever the ladies' man, his brown eyes going from Malik to the brooding man in the chair. "You have such a way with the women, Alty. I am so surprised you have ever been laid."

There was a round of choking laughter that came from the room, before Altair growled once more, his lip twisted up in a feral look aimed at the Italian. "Shut up." He spoke slowly, and Ezio was smart enough to listen. For once.

That made Desmond laugh as he took a seat between Ezio and Kadar. "I would have paid good money to see that! Was it that one girl, Maria?" Altair had not love life. Hell, he was lucky if he had some sort of date life. The only thing anyone could ever get the man to admit to was, he had no luck with women. Desmond could count on one hand how many women he had seen the older male with in the six years he had known him. Altair just could not date. It was awkward to say the least.

Malik shook his head, and Altair got really uncomfortable, burying his face into his arms. "No, some girl that just moved into his building. Novice there doesn't even know her name, but he has the biggest crush on her." He could have sworn he heard Altair mutter 'shoot me', but he could have been wrong.

"Oh! Oh! Are you talking about that one chick with the green eyes that just moved here from down south?" Ezio suddenly became very animated, and the shit eating smile was back. "She's hot!"

Kadar groaned, and looked over at Ezio. "You're thinking about Isabella, and no, not her. Besides, Isabella has reddish hair. The one Malik is talking about just moved in across from Altair. We keep telling him to just knock on her door, but he won't."

"Shut up kid." Altair lifted his head and growled from his chair, causing Malik to sit up in his.

"Don't you dare tell my brother to shut up when you're too chicken shit to talk to a woman. Just because you seem to be attracted to the crazies doesn't give you the right to snap at people." Malik was nearly on his feet and Altair was doing the same. "Grow a set and talk to her. The worst she's gonna do it laugh in your face."

Desmond leaned back on the couch, throwing his arm over his face, but mindful of his throbbing nose, and groaned. Could he ever get one day without some fight, drama, or over sexed Italian? The answer to that was the same as he gave Ezio not even a half hour before. Nope, nada, not going to happen, and never in a million years. He really needed new friends.


	2. Chapter 2

It was three in the morning by the time Altair made it home with Malik, and Kadar. The youngest of the three had consumed more alcohol than he had ever had in his life, causing Altair to pull over six times on the way back to their complex to expel his guts all over the pavement. Thankfully he had a strong stomach, or he might have lost it as well. The one thing he was grateful for was the boy had the common sense to know when he was about to get sick.

After helping Malik get his brother out of the back seat, he asked. "Need help getting him upstairs?"

The eldest shook his head, and gripped Kadar tighter. Low moans were coming from him as his eyes began to roll. "We're good, and he's going to feel it in the morning, I can guarantee that." The sadistic smile that Malik was famous for curled up his lips, and for the first time, Altair felt a tad bit sorry for the younger Al-Sayf.

So, with a shrug of his shoulders, he walked across the lot to his building. Taking the steps two at a time, he sighed when he made it to his floor. His neighbor was asleep on the ground, once more, a light blanket thrown over his body. Murphy and Valerie had a "strange" relationship. He worked, but worked long hours. She would get pissed for him being gone all the time. They would fight, and he would end up in the hall, or if Altair was home, on his couch.

Pushing the man with his foot, Murphy opened his eyes slightly. "You and Val get into it again?" He asked, but already knew the answer before he nodded. "Come on." Holding out his hand, he pulled his friend to his feet, and they walked to the next door. Producing a key, he unlocked the door, and flipped on the light as they entered. "You know the drill and where everything is."

"Altair, I swear, one day I'm going to make it up to you." Murphy ran his hand down his face.

Waving him off, Altair headed for the kitchen, and grabbed two pops. "Don't worry about it. I'm just gonna have to find that spare key and give it to you. Just in case this happens again when I'm gone." Truthfully, it was happening more frequently. "I see she gave you a blanket this time." Pointing to one wrapped around his shoulders, he handed the other can to him.

Murphy shook his head. "Nope. The new girl gave it to me after she passed me in the hall. Offered to let me take her couch, but I said I would just wait until you got home."

The new girl. Altar rolled his eyes, and plopped down the old recliner he had. The thing had seen better days, but it was comfortable, and the foot rest still worked, so he would hold onto to it for a bit longer. "Good call. Val would have your ass in a sling if she found out you were sleeping at another girl's apartment. She gets pissed when you stay over here half the time."

That got a laugh from him. "Oh believe me I know! I catch hell about it, but if she wasn't such a bitch, I wouldn't have to crash on your couch a few nights a week."

Quirking a brow, he asked seriously. "Why do you stay with her? I mean, you don't have any kids together, and you make enough money to get your own place. Why the hell are you still here?" That was the question of the century. Did the man just like to be abused?

A small shrug, and he laid down. "Don't rightly know, man. I guess, she was my high school sweetheart, and we've been together for six years. That's a long time."

Altair had no clue about long term relationships. The longest he ever had one was with Maria, and it lasted about five months. Come to find out she was just dating him to get her ex off her ass. The bad thing is once they called it quits, she went back to him! He had just about giving up on dating all together. Safer for his sanity that way.

Trying to lighten the mood, he grinned. "Well, while you bask in your issues, I'm gonna shoot some things."

Grabbing the Xbox controller off the table, and turning on the system, he was surprised to see his shooting buddy, DiamondBlade92, online. Normally she wasn't on this late. Going to the right screen, he sent her a message.

_Ya wanna play some COD?_

Her response was sent back quickly.

_Sorry, Eagle, I'm heading to bed. Starting a new job in the morning, and if I'm late… U know how it goes. Maybe tomorrow?_

Replying in kind, _Sounds good. U R on Pacific Time, right?_

It was a minute later before he got her message.

_Actually, I moved last week. That's why I haven't been on. Now on Eastern time like you. So, what time works?_

Altair blinked at the message. She had moved clear across the country, and was now in his time zone? What the hell? Typing quickly on the small keyboard he had, he sent her the message. _I get off at 9. How about 10?_

And waiting on baited breath until her response came back. _LOL! Works. Get your ego ready to be smashed again, because you are going to be eating bullets, Eagle. Unless you have been getting better. Which I doubt._

Oh she did not just go there. Biting his lip, he watched the letters fill the box quickly. _Uh news flash, Diamond, U normally get UR ass handed to you. _They normally bantered like that, but both of them were equal to one another.

_Whatever! We will settle it later, ass. See ya! _And he watched her icon change to offline.

"You can't get a girl in life, but you have an online gamer girl?" Murphy asked with a smirk as he fluffed the worn pillow under his head. "Dude, you so need to find someone." He yawned, and pulled the blanket up higher around his neck.

"I will, in time." Like never. He wasn't interesting in dating. It was too big of a headache. Truthfully, he won't mind trying to one day meet Diamond. They had been online buddies for four years now, and had argued with one another through Call of Duty, but neither one knew anything about the other. That was something he would like to change, if he could.

Deciding he would just wait until later to play, he shut the machine down, and tossed the remote in Murphy's direction, not carrying if it hit him or not. From the grunt, he knew he had. "I'm heading to bed. Lock the door behind you when you leave." And with that, he walked to his room, pulling off his shirt as he went, and fell onto the bed.

The morning came faster that he had hoped, and when is alarm went off, Altair rolled over, grumbling, shutting the offensive alarm off. Cracking an eye open, he groaned even more when he saw it was only ten after ten. His shift at the museum didn't start until noon. The life of a second shift security guard was easy there. Make sure kids find their parents, and get everyone out at closing.

Rolling from the warmth of the bed, he stumbled half asleep into the bathroom to relieve himself. After a quick shower, shave, and scrub a towel over his short cropped hair, he was damn near ready to face the day. Picking up his cell as he walked down the hall in nothing but his boxers, Altair sighed loudly when there were three missed calls from his dad, and a missed text from Becca.

Hitting redial, his dad quickly picked up the phone. _'Thought you lost your phone again.'_ Umar's rough voice came over the line, causing him to roll his eyes.

"Only did that once, and that's because someone stole it out of the car." Sometimes he hated talking to his dad. The man could always find something to pick about. "And that was like five years ago!"

Blowing off him off, his father got straight to the point of the conversation. _'Your grandmother wanted to know if you were coming home for Christmas this year. You know, since you were MIA the last three holidays.' _

Pouring himself a cup of coffee, he leaned against the counter with the phone tucked to his shoulder. "That's like five months away. A bunch of shit could happen between now and then." Like he could be abducted by aliens, so he wouldn't have to deal with his crazy relatives, and their nagging questions. When are you going to move closer to home? When are you going to settle down? When are we going to get great/grandbabies? Being an only child sucked.

'_Well? I have to give her an answer when she calls me back. The woman is insufferable!' _

The grandmother in question was his mother's mom. Maud had passed away shortly before Altair's first birthday. She had been diagnosed with stage four skin cancer when he was five months old. The chemo won't help her, and his father had raised him since then. The problem was his father was married to his job, and Altair had spent most of his childhood at Umar's parents' house. That's how he met Malik, and later, Kadar.

Knowing if he didn't give the answer they were looking for, Altair would get that dreaded call from Cecelia, and she would guilt trip him into coming. "Fine! Tell her I'll be there. Jeeze! Now get off my back!"

'_I'll let her know. And Altair,'_ there was the dreaded pause, _'are you actually going to bring a date this year?'_ And thus it began once more.

What a way to ruin the whole rest of the day.


	3. Chapter 3

Boxes, some empty, and some still in different states of unpack, lay about the small one bedroom apartment, as Alanna Dowd shook her head in despair. It was going to take her months to just go through everything, let alone find a place of it. Going from her grandmother's house in San Bernardino to the apartment she current resided in now was a change. A needed one to be sure. With Memaw's passing two months previous, and having to take care of the funeral, it had left her drained, and now, completely alone.

Her mother had been killed when she was ten from a car accident that had left her scarred across her stomach. Some guy that was running from the cops had broadsided the late model Acura that they were in. It had flipped three times, coming to a rest on the side of the road. Memaw had taken her in after that. Her father, Daveed, was in the military, and was able to come home for the funeral.

He was killed the following year in Afghanistan when a roadside bomb detonated near his Humvee. That was why she chose to take the job that she had. Across the US, and away from everything she knew. Now, she was stuck putting things in places and finding out what she would have to put into a storage unit.

Grabbing her cup of tea, she took a seat on the couch, and turned on the TV. Men had been in and out all day setting up her internet, and cable. Smiling, she turned the TV to HDMI 1, and turned on the Xbox. Just a quick level of Call of Duty would clear her head and she could get some much needed sleep.

Stalking through the battlefields, her level ended faster than what she would have liked, but looking over at the clock that hung on the wall, Alanna's eyes about came out of her head when she saw it was three in the morning. Her job started at nine! _Shit!_ She thought to herself, _I should have paid better attention to the time! Damn time shift!_

An alert came up on the screen telling her one of her friends were online, and a broad grin passed her face when she saw who it was. EaglesDive87. They had been friends for four years now online, and she felt bad because she hadn't told him she was moving.

A message popped up in her inbox from him. _Ya wanna play some COD?_

A laugh came from her as she replied back. _Sorry, Eagle, I'm heading to bed. Starting a new job in the morning, and if I'm late… U know how it goes. Maybe tomorrow?_ Alanna enjoyed playing the game with him. He was a tough opponent and just because she was a girl, he didn't give any slack. He was competitive like she was.

_Sounds good. U R on Pacific Time, right?_ Sometimes she wondered if he ever got offline. He was on at weird hours of the night. Not that she was complaining. He was about the only friend she could truly say she had. Sad that her closest friend was a guy she met while playing Call of Duty, and she knew nothing about him! Oh she needed a social life!

Deciding to tell him the truth, because going by the old time zone would mess up her sleep more, she replied. _Actually, I moved last week. That's why I haven't been on. Now on Eastern time like you. So, what time works?_

His reply didn't come for a minute, and she was wondering if he was even going to respond. But then it came. _I get off at 9. How about 10?_

Grinning broadly, she answered. _LOL! Works. Get your ego ready to be smashed again, because you are going to be eating bullets, Eagle. Unless you have been getting better. Which I doubt._ A little smack talk never hurt anyone. It was banter between the two that she enjoyed.

And he did not disappoint with his comeback. _Uh news flash, Diamond, U normally get UR ass handed to you._

Laughing at his comment, she smirked as she typed. _Whatever! We will settle it later, ass. See ya!_ And Alanna turned off the machine as she suppressed a yawn.

She awoke with the sun, and glared at the rays as they made their way through the blinds. "Stupid sun." She growled, and untangled herself from the sheets.

Taking a quick shower, and blowing out her damn near waist length hair, Alanna managed to get the curls into a twist, securing it with more pins that necessary. Grabbing the outfit she had laid out the night before, she nodded at the reflection in the mirror. The turquoise top gave her tanned skin a soft glow, and the form fitting black jeans looked good with it.

Adding a little bit of makeup, she was ready to face the day. Her purse was the last thing she grabbed as she walked out the door, and locked it behind her. Looking at the door across the hall, her smile turned into a frown as she thought about her jackass of a neighbor.

She didn't know why he had pissed her off so bad, but he had. It wasn't as if he had really done anything to her, but bump into her. She knew she shouldn't have reacted the way she did, but the day had been shitty, and went downhill. The apartment she was supposed to move into in the complex had been damaged in a fire two days before she had gotten out there, and the last one left was the one she was in now.

The man had looked at her, face blank, and told her he was sorry but she snapped at him, called him some of the most colorful names she could think of in Arabic. Her father's parents were from Syria and Memaw thought it would be neat for her to know more about her heritage. The guy blinked at her, and she stormed off, leaving him standing there. Good thing he probably didn't understand a word that she had said. A few of them were digs on his manhood, and something about being a jackass. Just thinking about what she said made her blush. Yeah, a really good thing he didn't know.

Her first day of work was completely uneventful. She got another tour of the building, shown where her station was, and a stack of things she would be working on for the week. It had to be the most boring day in her life. That was until she got home, and found a guy about her age trying to get a jack under an older Civic.

Chuckling behind her hand, she watched him struggle for a minute before walking over. "Need some help?" She asked with a wide grin.

He looked up at her, one hand on the jack, and the other on the side of the car. "Uh, you know how to change a tire?" He asked sheepishly.

With a nod, she knelt down beside him. "First of all, you're never getting that jack under the car, and two, you're putting it in the wrong place. If you put it there, you're going to damage the rocker panel."

His brow creased, telling her this was all kind of like a different language to him. "Come again?"

Alanna couldn't help but let out a bark of a laugh. "Wow, and I thought all guys were born to work on cars." She didn't mean it in a bad way. She knew a few guys that couldn't, or in cases wouldn't, work on cars.

The guy rubbed the back of his neck. "Normally Mal or Altair would do this, but Altair's at work, and Mal took my car so he could go to work. There's no food in the house, and I am so sick of pizza. Name's Kadar. I live over in C3." He pointed to the building across from hers.

Smirking, she stood. "Well, let's get this tire changed so you can got get food. By the way, I'm Alanna. Just moved into D8."

He got to his feet, and snapped his fingers. "Oh, you're the one that moved into the apartment across from Altair! He's a good guy, but a little rough to take sometimes. Known him my whole life."

Alanna gave a sheepish look. "I kind of went off on him the first time we met. I am so glad not a lot of people know Arabic, because I would have been really embarrassed."

And that's when he dropped a bomb on her with a slight raise of his lips. "He does, and so does my brother." She felt the color drain from her face. "I'm guessing he didn't respond to let you know." His grin told it all. Altair had understood every word she had hurled at him, and oh my God! She was so embarrassed!

"I didn't really give him a chance. Oh shit. Now I feel like an idiot." Her hands covered her face, and shook her head back and forth.

Kadar chuckled. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure he's over it by now." She peeked through her fingers at him, and he gave her a wide smile. "Well, pretty sure."

She hoped, but knowing that she was in the wrong, she was hoping that he would accept her apology. But that wouldn't happen until later, and so she set out to help Kadar change the tire, getting him on his way.

After the job was done, Kadar looked at her. "Thanks. Hey, for repayment, wanna go grab some food?"

Well, she did say she needed a social life early this morning. "Sure, but give me a few minutes to change. I am feeling a bit overdressed." And looked down at her work clothes.

He gave a nod. "I need to wash my hands anyhow. Say twenty minutes we meet back out here?"

"Hey works for me." And they parted ways.

**I know I gave Alanna a bit of a sad backstory, but hers was kind of the same in my other stories with her. For those who don't know, Alanna was an OC in my stories Reawakening, and New Beginnings. Yeah, she was one of my favorites. Told you a few of them were going to come back. See ya later. **


	4. Chapter 4

Ezio leaned against the side of the bar as he watched Desmond pour a few drinks for a customer, and then focus his attention on his roommate once more. "What do you mean you need my house key?" Desmond wiped down the bar, and glared. "Did you lose yours again?"

"No!" Ezio cried out, then hung his head. "I dropped them at Cristina's when I snuck out her window."

He heard an exasperated sigh come from him. "You of all people should know better than to mess with that girl. Her dad is going to find you one day, and cut your dick off. I almost got my head taken off when I picked her up on a date, for your date so her dad wouldn't know, and nearly had to give a blood sample. What the hell is he going to do to you when he finds out about your little love trysts when he's at work?"

It wasn't the first time someone had yelled at him for his relationship with Cristina, but he was never one to listen well. Her father was a prominent figure in the Boston area, and kept his daughter on a very short leash. That way her relationships couldn't tarnish his reputation. It hadn't stop them yet. "I know, but would you please let me use your key? I really want to go change."

Desmond shook his head. "If you want in the apartment so bad, climb. You seem to be really good at that." And he turned his back to him, walking back down the bar to serve another patron.

Looking around the bar, he took in all the people. The locals were out for the night, mostly college kids. He was about to leave when he heard someone call his name from near the door. Looking in that direction, he saw Kadar trying to flag him down. Waving the kid over, he saw there was a woman with him, and a pretty one at that.

"What are you doing here? I figured you would have still been hiding for the day from what you drank last night." The Italian grinned gesturing to nearby table that had become vacant.

Kadar rolled his eyes, and took a seat. His companion took the seat to the right of him. "I was hungry, and Mal hasn't gone to the store yet!" The younger man whined, causing the woman to laugh behind her hand. "Sorry, I'm being rude. Ezio, Alanna Dowd. Alanna, the playboy of the Boston area, Ezio Auditore. She just moved into the complex, and helped me change the tire on Mal's car. Just got some dinner and we're stopping in for a drink."

Ezio looked at her, and grinned. "Are you the one that told Altair off?" Her face turned crimson, and she pulled her hood up to cover it, informing him he was right. "You are, aren't you?"

A deep groan came from Alanna. "Does everyone know about that?"

He laughed at her discomfort. "It's worth noting when one of the fairer sex decides to tell him off. The man has not social grace, and is even worse with people."

Her eyes looked out at him from the depths of the hood, and he caught a glimpse of a smile. "I still feel bad about it."

Waving her off, he grinned at her. "Don't. We all had a good laugh about it." Turning towards the bar, he caught Desmond's attention. "Hey Des, come here a minute!"

His roommate rolled his eyes, but came over, three beers in his hand. "I got fifteen. What now?" He sank down in the chair across from Alanna.

"Des, this is Alanna. She's the one that told Altair off the other day!" Ezio lightly patted her arm, and watched as Desmond began to laugh.

One of the beers were slid in front of him, and also in front of Kadar. Desmond held up the last one to the female. "You drink?" She nodded. "On the house for what you did. You should receive a metal for what you did. Most of us, on many occasions, have wanted to do the same, but shit! That man can be scary on his own."

Alanna pushed her hood down, and blushed. "He doesn't seem that scary. I lived in California. There's a bunch of scary guys out there."

They sat around and talked for a while. Desmond would come back every once in a while when he wasn't busy. She was an interesting creature to say the least, but at about nine thirty, she looked at her watch. "Oh shit! I gotta get going! Promised a friend I would hook up with him tonight and play COD." The three of them looked at her like she had two heads. "Call of Duty? Jeeze, do you guys even play video games?"

Kadar nodded. "I do, but it's mainly Mortal Kombat, or Final Fantasy. I can't play first person shooters."

Desmond shrugged. "I really don't have the chance, but when I do, I like Skyrim."

Ezio was now intrigued by her. "You play games?"

Her brow arched. "Of course! A nice escape from the real world, and a great stress reliever." Her grin lit up her whole face. "But I'll see you guys later. Nice to meet you."

Kadar stood when she did. "You need a ride back?"

Alanna shook her head. "Naw, it's only a few blocks, and I need the exercise." She waved, walked out the door, and was gone.

Looking at the younger guy, Ezio gave him a shit eating grin. "You should so go after that one."

Crimson spread across the boy's face. "Oh no! I have no idea on how to approach her about that. Plus we just met! But she is nice."

"Nice?" He could not believe what he was hearing! Did his brother not teach him anything about the opposite sex? "That girl is hot, and you should so ask her out. You can be friends, and try to work your way out of that zone. You're a good kid, Kadar, but too shy! Ask her out!"

Desmond punched him the shoulder. "Would you leave him alone? If he wants to wait, then let him. Sheesh! You heard her. She's only been living here a week."

What the hell was up with all his friends and wanting to wait until love found them? He, on the other hand, was actively looking for that one woman in his life. There had been several before her, but it added to what he could give her, and a particular woman caught his eye. Her dark blonde hair shone in the overhead lighting.

Standing up, he smirked at his friends. "If you will excuse me, I see someone I must talk to." And with that, he walked over to where she was standing. "Excuse me?" He smiled at her as she turned around. "I could not help but notice how beautiful you looked from across the room. I knew I had to come and talk to you."

Her thin brow rose. "Please don't take this the wrong way. You're cute and all, but I don't pick up guys I just met at a bar." And with that, she walked away, leaving him standing there, mouth open, and he could hear the roars of laughter from Desmond and Kadar.

Stalking back over to the table, he sat down in a huff, and drained the rest of his beer. "Strike one!" Kadar grinned like an idiot.

Desmond took a drink from his bottle. His shift had ended a half hour before. "That has to be the fastest I have ever seen you be shot down. Do it again! I forgot to get it on camera."

"Shut up." He groused. What had happened? Normally he would have had her number within a few minutes, but she had plainly shot him down.

"Aw! Someone's sounding like Altair now." Kadar pouted, mockingly. "Are you going to become a hermit as well?"

Looking at the kid, his glare intensified. "Knock it off. It was one rejection. At least I can actually ask a girl out."

Holding up his hands, Kadar just merely grinned wider. "My bad. I thought you were good at this."

If he could, he would beat the kid's ass, but then he would not only have to deal with Malik, who could toss him around like a stick, he would have to deal with Altair was well, who could terrify him with a look. Both men together was more than what he was willing to deal with. Not that he couldn't hold his own but the two didn't play fair.

Before anyone could say a word, a fourth person joined them at the table. "Why am I not surprised to find you three here?" Rebecca Crane smirked as she grabbed Desmond's bottle with a "Hey!" from the bartender.

"It's the local hangout, and it's a Monday. There's nothing going on. Besides I work here." Desmond went to take his drink back, but Becca, like a champ, drained the half bottle before sitting it back down. She smiled broadly, and Desmond sneered. "Can't you buy your own?"

"I could," she shrugged, "but it's more fun to take yours."

Pushing his bottle to the middle of the table, and taking out his wallet, he produced a twenty. "Can you get us another round?" And held it out to Desmond, who snatched it from his hand.

Kadar stood at that point. "None for me. I have to get Malik's car back to him before he kicks my ass. I forgot to leave him a note telling him where I was."

Waving the younger boy off, Ezio waited for Desmond to come back with the drinks. The man did not disappoint. Once they were distributed, the Italian took a long draw from his bottle. "Hey, since there's nothing going on here, who wants to go find something to do?"

"No!" They both spoke in unison, causing him to frown. Spoil sports.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey everyone! To all the people that have reviewed, and liked this story, thank you from the bottom of my heart!**

Shaun Hastings looked up from the stack of homework that he had piled in front of him. His classes were finally coming to an end, but that didn't mean he was done. His new position at the museum had him busy most days. Tracking down information about a certain piece, helping the older curators find new places for borrowed pieces, and making sure all the information was correct. It was a daunting task, but one he enjoyed.

Grabbing a particular book, he rubbed the orbs that laid under his glasses, trying to rid them of the grit from lack of sleep. It was going on two in the morning, and he had to be at work at eight. Then once he was done there, it was back home for a quick shower, a quick bite of some type of food, and onto his last class before the small break between summer and fall. That would be his last semester, and as much as he enjoyed his professors, he would be thankful for the end.

Slumping onto the couch, the weariness washed over him, and Shaun tried his damnedest to suppress the yawn that clawed at the back of his throat. He really needed a vacation, but his job did not allow such luxuries at that time. He had papers to fill out, signs to address, and that was the last thing that crossed his mind as his tired mind slipped into the comfortable black that was sleep.

He didn't know how long he had been out of it for, but something prodded at his foot, making him curl up into a ball, mumbling incoherently at the person daring to disturb his rest. The prodding continued, and with an irritated snap, he called out. "Bloody hell! Does one not get any rest in this damn place?"

"And if you continued with that, you're gonna sleep through work." His sleep addled mind registered the words slowly, but once he caught on, he opened his eyes to see Connor Kenway standing there, arms crossed over an impressively wide chest.

Medium brown eyes met bloodshot blue as Shaun finally came back to the land of the living. "What time is it?" he asked, yawning into the back of his hand as he sat up, scratching the top of his head.

"Six forty five. You were supposed to meet me down stairs like fifteen minutes ago." The larger man took a seat on the chair near him, eyes watching.

"Shit." He scrubbed his eyes once more. There was not enough hours in the day for everything he had to do. Then something occurred to him. "How did you get in here? You don't have a key and I know I locked the door."

The corner of his mouth quirked up. "You have shitty locks. Really easy to pick if you know what you're doing."

Shaun sat there and blinked dumbly for a minute, then asked. "How the hell do you know how to pick locks?"

He could see the man's chest rumble in a quiet laugh. "I would get bored when I was home alone, a lot."

Connor's father, Haytham, was one of the curators of the museum, and much like Shaun, he immersed himself in his work. There were times that he lost himself for days on a new exhibit, completely ignoring his home life. Connor had told him that's why his mother had filed for divorce early in the marriage, and moved back to her hometown with him. Ziio had been killed in a fire when Connor was about eight. Shaun knew his friend's history, just like Connor knew Shaun's.

Yawning once more, Shaun stood, stretched, and groaned as his body protested to the movements. It was going to be another one of those days, he could already tell.

After a five minute shower, fresh clothes, and a granola bar, Shaun followed Connor down the hall, steaming coffee mug in each of their hands, they made it to the Ram that was parked on the curb. Shaun had a run in with an unfortunate deer three weeks before when he was, ironically, going to get Rebecca, who had also hit a critter. Her car only had a flat. His Focus had been trashed beyond repair. So, until such a time that he could actually find the time to get a car, he had been riding in with Connor.

"You do know you spend more in gas than what it's worth to drive this, correct?" The red head pushed his glasses up higher onto the bridge of his nose.

"You wanna walk?" His dark brow rose, and Shaun quickly shook his head. "Then don't say anything about my truck."

The blacked out Ram was a nice truck, and the guy kept it in good shape. The only thing he disliked about the whole thing was the height. Standing at only 5'10", it was a pain in the ass to get into the raised cab. Connor, who topped out at like 6'3" had no problems getting into the thing. Sometimes he was envious of all his taller friends.

The ride to the museum was done in silence as Shaun took the time to fully wake up and drink the black morning brew. Haytham was standing by the bay door when they arrived, clipboard in hand, writing something down as Caleb waved them through the back gate.

The older Kenway looked in their direction as they walked over to the loading dock, his lips pulled thin, and his steely blue eyes cutting into them. "You're late." Was all he said as he looked back into the truck, his frown getting worse as he observed something.

"It was my fault. I overslept." Shaun knew better than to be nothing but truthful with the man. He seemed be able to tell when someone was trying to bullshit him.

Giving a curt nod, he spoke. "See that it doesn't happen again." And that was that.

Connor grabbed the sleeve of his shirt, and began to drag him into the bowels of the building. Behind the scenes where no one, save for the guards and workers ever got to see. "I think we should steer clear of him today. He's been in a foul mood since yesterday night when Lee called. Something about a project coming in from Chicago." The man spit Lee's name out like a bad taste.

He knew the history behind them. Charles Lee had always been Haytham's right hand man, and when Connor ended up moving in with his father after his mother had died, Lee had slipped, or on purpose, calling Connor a mongrel, a half breed. Haytham hadn't taken kindly to it, chewing Lee up one side and down the other, but still kept the man on as his assistant. There were always rumors that Lee was gay, and lusted after Haytham. Strangely, Shaun could believe that.

"Steer clear of Poppy dearest, and bash Lee upside the head with that Pompeii vase that is still half covered in hard lava. Got it." Both of them, not being able to help it, began to snicker just out of earshot of the elder Kenway.

Time always flew when he worked on a new project, and today was no different. Studying the ancient tome, he could barely decipher what it was, or even what language. The patterns in the speech told him it was Middle Eastern, but the language escaped him.

"Do you ever do anything besides read?"

Looking up from his work, he saw Altair standing there, fingers laced through the belt loops on his pants, damn near golden eyes scanning the page. His expression told of one of indifference, but he had known the man for going on two years now, and knew the tanned man had a sharp mind, but even sharper tongue.

"You know, if you did it sometime you would understand the draw to it. Can you even read?" He quipped, but knew that the man could.

Shrugging, he turned to walk away, but before he walked from the room to do it rounds, he spoke. "Your book there. It's Arabic. Old as shit, but still Arabic. They were talking about the Hashashin." And he slipped out the door, leaving Shaun sitting there, completely in shock over what he had just heard.

Finally getting over his udder disbelief that the security guard could read it, he ran after him. "Hey!" Altair stopped and looked at him. Poker face as usual. "How the hell did you know that?"

Rolling his eyes, he sighed heavily. "My dad traveled the world when I was a kid. Took me with him a few times. He speaks fluent Arabic, and my great grandparents came from Syria. Taught me while I was growing up." He looked down at his watch. "Look, I gotta go relieve Seth at the monitors. See ya." And he walked off without as much as a backwards glance.

Mumbling under his breath about the man not being a complete idiot, he walked back to the room he had been occupying, and sat back at the book. Its pages brittle, and some of the words were hard to read, but after looking at it for a time, he began to understand. Not much, because he was no linguistics expert, but with some time and patience, he might be able to decipher it.

**I thought I would share everyone's ages. I keep forgetting to do that.**

**Desmond, Connor, Ezio, Leonardo-25**

**Shaun, Malik, Altair, Edward-27**

**Isabella, Rebecca, Sofia-24**

**Lucy, Seth, Maria-26**

**Alanna, Kadar-23**

**Connor and Edward, instead of being grandson/grandfather, they are cousins. I just can't write him as an old guy. Sorry!**


	6. Chapter 6

Isabella Bellucci pursed her lips as she nursed the drink she had in her hand. The taste wasn't bad. It's that she wasn't a large drinker. Actually, she didn't really care for the feeling it gave her, but watching Lucy Stillman flirt with one Desmond Miles had her teeth grinding, and her anger reaching new heights, the drink was needed at that time.

"I swear that woman…" her words coming more like growls, and she heard a laugh coming from her left side.

"If you like him that much, Isabella, you should ask him out." Alanna looked at her over the rim of her glass, and smirked. Her gray eyes twinkling with laughter.

"Oh, like you have any room to talk." She snapped, took another sip of her cocktail, and watched in satisfaction as her new friend looked away. They had become friends her third day of work, and had even had a girl's movie night over at Alanna's over the weekend. That's when she found out about her secret crush.

Lucy smiled at Desmond, handed him the money for her drink, and walked over to where Rebecca Crane, and some other woman was sitting. She thought her name was Aveline, but she wasn't sure. They were the 'in' kids she wanted to beat up in high school. Just thinking about those days made her fingers curl around her glass, threatening to smash it to pieces.

Alanna looked at her, brow raised. "I'll make you deal. If I go over and talk to the guy I like, you have to go over and talk to Desmond." And from the way her face was paling as she even thought about it, Isabella knew it took guts to volunteer to do that.

Letting her anger leave her with a sigh, she sat her head down on the table. "Naw, he sees me as a little sister. We've known each other for a few years now, and he pals around with Seth. I should just let it go."

A laugh made her raise her head, and look at the California girl. "You know what? We're pathetic. Here we are, single, in a bar, and we are too big of wussies to go talk to guys. I don't know about you, but I find it kind of sad."

She knew the other woman was right, but damn it! If he didn't like her the way she liked him, she would never be able to show her face in the bar again. Or even in public! "We are pathetic." She added, and leaned her head back staring at the ceiling.

"Salute ladies, is this seat taken?" The suave voice of Ezio reached her ears and made her look in that direction.

Now, Isabella would admit Ezio looked damn good, but she had never been into the playboy type. Besides, her father would throw her ass in a deep, dark hole if she ever showed up with an Italian boy. Her father was Italian, born and raised in Venice, until coming to the States in his teens, then meeting her mother. He knew how they were, and had told her she, under no circumstances, was to ever date one.

Alanna, who was almost always smiling, waved to the vacant chair. "Have a seat. Join our little pity party."

He gave his best smile, and took the offered chair. "And what are you two lovelies having a pity party for? You could have any man in this room, including myself," causing Isabella to roll her eyes, "yet you hide in the corner and watch the room."

She was about to open her mouth when Alanna interjected. "She won't ask a certain guy out because she's afraid that it'll ruin a non-existent relationship." Her eyes turned to steel, and then took a swig from her drink. "And I'm the same way."

Throwing his head back and laughing, Ezio shook his head in amusement. "You two are afraid to approach a guy?" Both of them shot him death looks, but he ignored them. "Take a chance. You will never know until you try."

"Yeah, that's what scares me." She mumbled and her eyes once again looked over at the bar, watching Desmond serve drinks, and smile at the patrons. Oh she had it so bad.

A hand was laid on her arm, and she looked at the person it was attached to. Alanna smiled evilly. "Give me a few more shots, and I might ask him for you. Either that, or pass out drunk at this table."

Isabella won't put it passed the other woman to do it. "Why don't you worry about your own problem first? We can deal with mine later."

Ezio, who was looking from one woman to the next, had to ask. "Alright, normally I know all about everyone. It's kind of my thing. You," pointing to Alanna, "are still a bit of a mystery. You have only been here a few times, and every time it is either alone, or you came with Kadar the first time." Giving her a sly smile, he asked. "It's not Kadar, is it? Your secret crush?"

Isabella began to laugh when Alanna's face went beat red. "No!" she sputtered. "He's dating some girl that works at the coffee shop on the corner. Cute little brunette. Really, really perky. Cannot recall her name though." And Isabella opened her mouth, but Alanna snapped. "Don't you dare tell him! I will spill your secret, woman!"

Not being able to resist, she blurted out. "She's crushing on her neighbor!" And clamped her hand over her own mouth, watching Alanna's eyes widen.

Ezio's smile turned into a full blown evil grin. "You like Altair?" and gestured to the man in the back of the bar. Slowly, the gray eyed woman nodded, her cheeks scarlet from embarrassment. "So go talk to him. He may be an ass, but he's not that bad of a guy. Or so I've heard. He's a dick to me, but I think I annoy him."

Isabella rolled her eyes. "You annoy a lot of people, so how's that any different?"

Mocking hurt, he placed his hand over his chest. "You wound me with such words, Bella. That barbed tongue should come with a warning."

Smirking, she tossed back the remainder of the glass, and sat it down on the table with a bit more force than need be. The ice rattled in the cup, and her eyes met his. "You like it, admit it."

Giving her a small shrug, he spoke. "Maybe, but that is all you'll ever get from me."

"Hey, I'll be back. Quit flirting with each other." Alanna smacked the table, grabbed her purse, stood, and headed for the bar.

"What is she doing?" Isabella watched her friend, almost, but not quite, about to panic. She was now standing at the bar, talking to Desmond. Her smile was wicked, and something exchanged hands. With a small nod, Alanna grabbed a tray and brought it back to the table. Looking at the five shot glasses, and the three beers, she asked. "What the hell is all of that?"

Setting a beer in front of her, and another one in Ezio, she lifted one of the glasses filled with an amber liquid. "This is a shot of liquid courage. Here's to my insanity." And before anyone could stop her, the woman had all five of them gone in under a minute.

"I am so glad I drove." Isabella shook her head in disbelief. "You are going to be fucked up in a little bit."

A slow grin passed over Alanna's face as she took a swig of the beer. "Yup." Leaning over, she pressed a kiss to Ezio's cheek, stood, and leaned on the table. "Well, wish me luck. I have an apology to make." And she walked, surprisingly straight, to the table in the back where Altair was sitting.

They both began to laugh. "Ten bucks says she gets him to take her home." Ezio laid his wallet on the table.

Isabella grinned. "Ten bucks says you're wrong. Alanna won't abandon me like that." Five minutes later, she was handing a ten to the smirking man as Altair escorted a completely intoxicated Alanna out the front door. She glowered. "Fuck you."

"When and where?" he asked, but she knew he was only messing with her. "Oh, and for the record, he has no intentions of asking Lucy out. He likes the fact that she comes in just to flirt with him."

Her jaw hit the table. "How did you…?" Then the growl came out. "Alanna." That girl was so dead when she saw her next.

Shaking his head, Ezio drained the last of his bottle, sat it on the table, and stood. "Nope. You aren't that subtle when watching him." And with a wave, he turned and walked out the door, leaving her there alone.

And about that time, Desmond walked up, and took over Ezio's empty chair. "So, everyone abandoned you, huh Izzy?" Using her childhood nickname, he gave her a smile, and she felt her heart skip. He was the only one, besides her brother, that could call her that.

"Yeah." Her eyes went to the beer that she hadn't even touched. It wasn't her thing.

"Hey, I just got off, and well, you wanna go grab a cup of coffee? I really don't want to head home just yet." She raised her eyes from the bottle, and watched him in fascination as he rubbed the back of his neck. He was always doing that when he talked to her, and she had always wondered why.

But not really caring, Isabella gave a nod. "Sure." It was a small step, but maybe she might get up the courage at some point.

As they walked down the street, she could hear guys hooting and hollering in the background. It was normal for a Saturday night. "So what's up with Alanna? She got pretty wasted just to go talk to Altair."

Shoving her hands in her pockets, she grinned. "She likes him, but was too big of a chicken to talk to him sober. Guess when people call liquor 'liquid courage', they're not kidding."

Desmond laughed at the comment. "Don't worry, he likes her too, but as well, he's too big of a wuss to talk to her. Guess that puts them on even ground."

Well that was news. "Huh. I guess you learn something new every day."

"I know, right? You know, I heard a rumor that people have been wondering if he was gay, and then he and Malik have been secretly dating. Hailey found it hilarious when she first heard." They rounded the corner, and she spotted IHOP. It was best place to get coffee that late at night, and she was in love with their stuffed French toast.

"Hailey?" she asked, wondering who that was.

"Mal's girlfriend of like seven months. She's on a tour of Europe right now with her family. She should be getting back soon." They walked up to the front door, and like a gentlemen, he held the door for her. "They don't make their private life public."

That's why she never knew. "Guess I will just have to wait and meet her."


	7. Chapter 7

Altair watched the bar from a back corner table. From his vantage point he could see everything that was going on, and one person in particular. Alanna, he had learned her name from Kadar, sat at a table with Isabella and Ezio, doing shot after shot. He was surprised the girl was able to hold her head up after the fifth one, she laid a kiss on Ezio's cheek, got out of her chair, and made her way through the crowds and towards him.

Her beer slammed down on the table in front of him, and when he looked up, he got an eyeful of a very impressive set of breasts. "You're drunk." Was the first thing that came from his mouth as she grinned at him.

"Hey, I had to do this so I could even come over here." Her head tilted to the side, and an easy grin was on her face. "You know, you're kind of intimidating."

"I am?" Oh he knew he was. People told him that all the time. "So you had to be drunk to walk over here and talk?"

"Yup." And she pulled out the chair, half sitting, and half falling into it. Placing his hand on her upper arm to stabilize her, he sighed.

"So what did you want to talk about?" he knew he was going to regret this, because most likely she wasn't going to remember any of this in the morning light.

Alanna smirked, and went to go take a drink of the beer, he grabbed it from her. "I think you're good."

Her frown creased her forehead, and she nodded slowly. "Think you're right. When I can barely see the bottle, it's time to stop." Then the smile was back in an instant. "Hey, I wanted to say I was sorry for what I said to you a few weeks ago. I was pissed and shouldn't have taken it out on you. Truce?" she held out hand, and he gently shook it. "So we cool?"

Not being able to help it, he laughed. "Yeah Alanna, we're cool."

Raising a brow, she asked. "How the hell do you know my name?"

He grinned. "Kadar."

She laughed, and he wouldn't admit it out loud, but he liked the sound of it. "Ah, that explains it. So, Altair," she motioned him to move closer, which he complied. "Can I beg a favor if you're not too busy?"

"Oh, and what's that?" Altair asked.

"Can you, uh, take me home? Izzy is too infatuated with Desmond to know I've even left," pointing the red head who he could tell was making doe eyes at the bartender, "and as much as I like Ezio, he drives me up a wall! I swear someone needs to neuter him. You know, like you would a male dog. It might curb that high sex drive he has."

Altair bit his lip to stop from laughing too loudly, but it was hurting to contain it. "Some would agree with you. I'm one of them." The girl had a good sense of humor. "If you're ready to go, I'll take you home, but I walked here. Hopefully you can too."

Her smile went from playful to coy. "At least I know I have a good looking leaning post if I need it." And with that, she wandered back over to the table, grabbed he was guessing her purse, said her goodbyes, and met him at the door.

They hadn't even made it a block before he had pulled her from the curb a few times, he finally rolled his eyes. "Alanna." She looked up at his, her eyes closing slowly, and that was the end for her. The liquor had finally caught up with her, and she passed out right there on the street.

Not thinking about it, he picked her up bridal style before she could hit the pavement and carried her the remaining block to the apartment building. Not one to dig through women's purses, and she wasn't in the best mood to ask. So doing the only thing he could think of, Altair unlocked his door, and laid her on the couch.

Grabbing a waste basket, he sat it near her head, and covered her up with a light blanket. Kneeling on the floor beside her, gently he moved a few stray hairs from her face. She was young, maybe the same age as Kadar. Shaking his head, he got up, and headed for his room.

The morning came, and as to be expected, she was still passed out on his couch, mouth slightly open, and one leg hanging off the edge, with an arm thrown over her face. Chuckling quietly, Altair went through with his morning routine. Shower, shave, and then coffee. As he stood in the kitchen, waiting for the coffee to finish its brew, he could hear the telltale sounds of Alanna beginning to wake up.

Getting a glass of water, and a few ibuprofen, he walked out to the living room. "Morning." He called out to her, causing her to jump.

Her eyes were wide with fright as she took the apartment. "Where am I?" She asked, her eyes finally meeting his.

He held out the pills and the water, which she gratefully took. "You passed out on the way back here last night, and I wasn't about to go through your purse to find your keys. So, being a good neighbor, I let you crash on my couch."

Her slim fingers wrapped around the glass after she had taken the pain relievers, and he took a seat in the chair. "I guess I should say thank you. You didn't have to though. I could have stayed with Isabella."

So she didn't remember anything from last night. "You don't remember walking over to me and apologizing about our first meeting?" She shrugged and tilted her hand side to side, indicating that she vaguely knew what he was talking about. "Yeah, I watched you hammer back like five shots and then drank another half of a beer. I was surprised that you could even walk."

Alanna's cheeks flared scarlet. "I am so sorry for anything I said or did last night. I'm an idiot when it comes to alcohol."

Altair waved it off. "You didn't say or do anything embarrassing. You were actually better behaved than most of the people I know who get drunk. At least you knew when to ask for someone to take you home."

She blushed once more, and he found it cute that she did it so often. "Hopefully I didn't ruin your night."

Leaning back in his chair, he shook his head. "Nope. I just normally go down there to get out of the house. Don't even drink most of the time, just people watch. Quality source of entertainment when the college kids drink. Michael doesn't mind if I take a table. He owns the bar, and I play bouncer if they need it."

Looking up at him through her long lashes, she gave him a shy smile. "Well, thank you again for not letting me make a fool out of myself." Leaning forward, she sat the glass on the table. "Hey, can I make you breakfast? You know, for what you did for me last night? It's the least I can do."

He was about to turn her down, because he didn't expect any repayment, but Alanna gave him a small pouty face, and he sighed. "Okay," he nodded, and with a smile he added playfully, "but it had better be good."

Forty-five minutes later, he wasn't disappointed. Altair leaned back in the chair at her small table with a content sigh. He hadn't felt this full in a while. His meals normally came from a deli or a microwave. Cooking was not his thing. When he managed to nearly burn his last apartment down from trying to make macaroni and cheese, he gave up.

"That was impressive." He grinned at her, and she returned it as she drank her coffee. "Where the hell did you learn to cook like that?" Gesturing to the remaining bites of an enormous omelet.

Alanna chuckled as she sat her mug down. "My Memaw. Every Sunday we would make a huge breakfast just for us. Pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, the whole nine yards. Then, as I got older, we switched to other recipes. Something to challenge us. It was a way to spend more time together, even though I lived with her." Her eyes took on a faraway look for a moment. As if to remember the times fondly. "I miss those days."

Curious, he picked up his mug. "Where is she now?" he asked.

"Died three months ago. That's why I moved out here. Too many memories out there, and decided that I needed a fresh start from them." Her eyes went to the top of the table as if it was the most fascinating thing on the planet. "Nothing there to hold me anyway."

"Where are your parents?" And instantly he regretted asking, because her head dropped, and he knew he was broaching a sensitive subject. "I don't mean to pry. It's just I'm trying to get to know you."

Her head lifted and she gave him a sad smile, causing his heart to go out to her. "It's alright. Both of my parents are dead. Mom died in a crash when I was ten, and my dad was a soldier who was killed in Afghanistan when I was eleven. I've had a few years to come to grips with their deaths."

So she was like him, which was nice to know. All of his friends had come from good homes with their mom and dad's. He felt like an outcast a lot of the time because had been raised by his grandparents. "I was raised by my grandparents as well. Mom died when I was not a year old yet, and my dad traveled a lot for work. When I was seventeen, my grandfather passed, leaving me to care for my ailing grandmother. She didn't live much longer than him." His father didn't even make it back for the funeral. Some excuse, but he didn't care at that point. They were never close.

Her head cocked to the side like a curious bird. "No aunts, uncles?"

He nodded. "My mom has a brother, but he came out as being gay when I was in my teens. My dad was an only child. Same here. Never remarried when my mom passed."

She laughed lightly. "My mom and dad were both only children. Memaw had my mom late in life, and Pop Pop passed when I was three, I think. Never knew my dad's real parents. He was adopted when he was a few days old, and all he knew from his searching was he was born to Syrian immigrants. His adopted father died a few years before I was born and his adopted mother died around my second birthday. They were in their forties when they adopted him. Tried for years to have a child of their own, but nothing worked. Finally decided to adopt." Alanna gave a genuine smile. "You know, it's actually nice to talk to someone that actually understands. I would get some strange looks in school when I would tell people I lived with my grandmother."

He returned it with one of his own. "I know that feeling."


	8. Chapter 8

Edward Kenway stepped from the bus with a sigh. His mother, Jenny, had sent him to Boston in hopes that his uncle, Haytham, could do something with him. Not that he wanted his life to change. He was content to do odd jobs, and party like a rock star most nights. Guess Mom finally got sick of him getting drunk and waking up at noon.

Pulling his shades from his pocket, he covered his bloodshot eyes, and looked around at the people milling about. The ride on the Greyhound from Miami was not the most wonderful ride. He mainly sat there, staring at the scenery as it flew by.

"Edward!" His name reverberated through the terminal, and his eyes raised to find out who was calling for him.

His cousin Connor walked over, smile on his youthful face. He looked a lot like his father in many ways, more so since he had finally grown into his own skin. Dark brown hair topped his head, brown eyes that he had gotten from his mother, and the height that all the Kenway men had.

Edward was the opposite of his tanned skinned cousin. Shaggy blonde hair, royal blue eyes, and fair skin were what made up the features that he had inherited from a father he never knew. From what he learned, he had been conceived from a boyfriend long ago. Mom got pregnant, dead beat ran for the hills. Tessa hadn't been happy, but she had helped when she could.

"Long time no see, Edward. You should visit more often." Connor clasped him on the shoulder, and then made their way to pick up his only bag. His carry on was a small book bag that had what cash he had remaining, and a few electronics.

Looping the other strap over the other shoulder, the blonde shrugged. "Long trip."

They lapsed into silence. He didn't want to be here. Haytham wasn't the greatest person on the planet. He was strict, hard to get along with, and neither nephew nor uncle had ever gotten along. Edward should have traded his bus pass for a trip to California. There had to of been something out there he could have gotten into. _Yeah, like trouble_, the little voice in his head spoke, and it sounded a lot like his friend, Matt.

Once he had his bag, Connor led him out into the lot. "Dad got you a job. You start tomorrow."

"Do what?" That was something he wasn't expecting. "What the hell will I be cleaning?"

Haytham was one of the head curators at the museum in town. Most likely the man got him a job as a janitor or something on those lines. But Connor just shot him a smile over his shoulder, and pointed to the black truck in front of him. "Just throw your bag in the bed, and get in. I'll tell you on the ride to my place."

Throwing the bag over the side with ease, he got into the truck, and buckled up, slouching in the seat. "So I'm staying with you?" His cousin's dark head nodded. "Figured I'd be with your dad. You know, since my mother thinks a twenty-seven year old man needs a babysitter."

Starting the truck up, Connor looked over at him with a bored expression. "You are drunk nearly every night according to Aunt Jenny, and you party like a college kid. I personally think you need a babysitter too."

Edward's teeth began to grind as he looked at the man two years his junior. "Yeah well, I don't. My life was that, my life, before my mother decided to stick her nose into it."

Connor sighed as he backed the truck up, and then headed towards the street. "And from what I could hear from her conversation with Dad was, you have been evicted from every apartment you've ever had for one reason or another. Fighting, brawls in the parking lots, non-payment of rent. You haven't had a job in months, and you've probably nailed every woman in Miami. She's afraid you're either going to end up in jail, or dead somewhere. So, leaving you with no other option, she sent you up here for a fresh start." He snapped back, and Edward could have sworn he heard Uncle Haytham in that speech.

Grumbling, he wasn't in the mood for this shit. He didn't want to be here, and he surely didn't want a job that Haytham had gotten him. But for curiosity sake, he asked. "What job will I be doing?" he asked with a dejected sigh. Knowing that he didn't have money to make it anywhere, Edward would at least do the job until he got a few checks under his belt so his could blow the town for something warmer.

"Security."

And Edward growled in annoyance the following morning as he looked at the light tan uniform. _At least I was allowed to keep my hair_, he mused as he ran his fingers through the golden locks. Knowing he wasn't getting out of this, Edward changed quickly, throwing his stuff into a locker, and walked out the door.

"Edward." His uncle's deep voice caused him to turn in that direction. Haytham walked up with another guard, a man probably about his age, but red hair buzzed short, making it look like someone had hit his head with a can of copper spray paint. "This is Seth Bellucci, he'll be showing you the robes for the day." And in a slight whisper, his uncle kept his eyes on Edward but addressed the other man. "Do not let him out of your sight." And with that, he walked away, back straight, and head high.

"Asshole." He muttered to himself, but Seth heard it and grinned.

"I try to steer clear of him most days. He's a little… hard to handle on most days." The guy motioned him forward.

Cracking a grin of his own, he added. "Just be glad you're not related to him."

Seth laughed as they rounded a corner. "Then I'll pity you now. I say the same to Connor too."

He was already starting to like this guy. "So what's job entail? Walking around making sure people don't take anything?"

"Sort of. Most of the time, we just walk the halls, check to make sure guests are where they're supposed to be, and the deliveries are taken to the proper places." Opening a door and walking through, Seth waved at a fellow guard, who waved back. "This is the break area. Coffee and tea are free. Fridge over there, and there's a shit ton of vending machines. Two fifteens and a half hour. There's ten guards per shift and every two weeks we switch from first to second, then back." They walked through the break room, and into another hall.

"So who was that?" Asking about the other guard.

"That's Caleb Hill. He's mainly out in the shack watching the back lot. I think Malik's out there right now. You'll meet him later. Sarcastic for the most part, but a cool guy. Most of us are friends. There's two women that work here. Mary Read, and Anne Bonny. Be careful around Mary. She's a ball buster, and blunt to a fault. Anne's her best friend, and makes up for Mary's blunt personality."

Mentally filing it away, he nodded. "Anyone else I should know about?" he asked.

"Mal's best friend, Altair. He's on second right now, so you might see him in passing. Can't miss him. The guy used to give me the creeps when I first started here. He has this look that makes you think he's already killed you a dozen different ways in his head, but hasn't had a good reason to do it in life. Malik and Altair have been here for roughly about four years. I've been here two and a half. It's a good job." They came to the end of another hall, and in front of them was a door labeled security.

They passed through, and a pretty girl behind the desk looked up, offering a smile. "Hey Seth, what brings you to my dungeon of horrors today?" She rested a mocha cheek on her palm.

"Aveline de Grandpre, meet our newest guard, Edward Kenway."

Edward gave a nod of the head, and a smile. Aveline did the same. "So, you're Connor's cousin. He's been talking about you coming up since last week. Said with you here he might be able to get his dad off his ass for a few seconds." She chuckled, and reached for something on the desk, then held up the badge. "Seth will get your picture, and you can get out on the floor."

With a slight wave, the two men walked into the other room, where a computer was set up, and a camera. "Have a seat, and we'll get this done as quickly as possible."

Doing as he was asked, the picture was taken in a few minutes, and they were on their way once more. Trying to figure something for small talk, Edward asked. "Not meaning to pry, but you're not from around here, are you?"

"Nope." Seth answered. "Born and raised in the great state of Alabama. Moved up here with my ex, Tori, and when we split, I kind of took a shine to being up north. Izzy, my baby sister, came up not too long ago just to visit, but stayed as well. She works with Shaun's girlfriend over at a design studio not far from here. They do all the banners and the layouts for the new displays."

He nodded his head in understanding, and caught the undernote of a protective big brother. "So, what you're telling me is to stay away from your sister."

Giving him a thumbs up, the other man nodded. "You got it. You catch on quick."

The rest of the day went smoothly, and he finally caught a glimpse of the man Seth had warned him about. He looked intimidating, but Edward had seen worse, and probably went up against worse. His favorite haunt was a bar down by the wharf that was mainly inhabited by the most unsavory people humanity had ever produced. Many of them didn't need a reason to slip a knife into your ribs, or put a bullet in your head.

Ah, those were the good old days, and now… Now he was a security guard under the watchful eye of his uncle, who had a cob up his ass so far a suppository wouldn't help him out. Oh and to top it off, Connor wasn't about to let him out of his sight as well. Stupid uncle, stupid cousin. He really should have went to California instead. Screw Matt and his annoying voice of reason.


	9. Chapter 9

"Leo!"

Turning, Leonardo shook his head, trying to bite back a groan as Ezio walked into his office, damn near black hair perfectly styled, clothes flawless as usual. The man was a walking billboard for GQ, and the bad thing was, he knew it. They had also been best friends since the second grade, and moved to the States a few months from each other. Well, he moved here for a job, Ezio moved here because his parents thought he was going to get killed if he stayed in Firenze from all the fathers he was pissing off. It was a good move, but he was back to his old tricks.

"Thought you were heading home for the week?" Leo asked as he shuffled the papers that were piling up on his desk. More projects were coming in by the day, and it was his job as one of the senior designers to sort through the mess, make sense of them, and distribute them to the workers.

The brown-eyed male shrugged with a sideways grin. "Mother told me not to come. Something about them heading to Venice for Petruccio's treatment. On a side note, Federico will be arriving at the airport later. Wanted to see if you would like to go with me? You know how much I love driving through the traffic there." And there was the sarcastic tone that he was good for.

Not being able to help rolling his eyes, Leo shook his head. "Sorry. I'll be here late. Big project just came in, and I'm overseeing it. The first one I get to do on my own without Jax looking over my shoulder at every turn." It was the break he was looking for, and if it went off right, there was a promotion in his future. Bigger office, more space, and better pay. "Just a question, but shouldn't you be at work right now?"

Another shrug. "Nope. That job was only temporary. Ended yesterday. Thought I told you that."

A long groan escaped him. Ezio was always finding the high paying temp jobs that people dreamed of. One month he escorted a few dignitaries around the Boston area when they were visiting, and was well compensated for his time. His father, Giovanni, had a hand in that. The other noteworthy one was when he was chosen to be an extra in a movie that was filmed in the area. Then almost got ejected from the set, and lynched, when he began to flirt with the director's young wife.

"I guess we could go have that lunch now. That is why you're here, correct?" Anything to get the man out of his office, and away from the floor. Too many women worked there and there was only so much time to reel him in.

Taking to the elevators, he watched Ezio wave at a few of the ladies, who either rolled their eyes at him, or smiled back. Isabella shook her head as they passed her station at the receptionist's desk. "What are you doing here, _stronzo_?" Her green eyes watched the two of them, but with a smile on her face. She was the only one in the whole building the spoke fluent Italian, much to Leo's delight. Sometimes a man just liked to talk in his home language.

Ezio, forever the joker, placed his hand over his heart. "Bella, sweet Bella, must you be so cruel every time you lay your eyes on me?"

The younger woman snorted. "Yes, because you deserve it a good portion of the time." But they grinned at each other.

The elevator dinged, signaling it had finally arrived. With a smirk from Ezio towards Isabella, and a rude gesture from the redhead, they boarded the small car headed for the ground floor.

Once the doors were shut, Leo looked at him. "One day that girl is going to get a wild hair up her ass, and kick yours."

Laughing, Ezio leaned against the side in an easy, relaxed fashion that only he could pull off. "Doubtful. Des would stop her. If I am injured, and cannot work, who will pay the other half of the rent?"

Groaning at his antics, the blonde shook his head. "You know, one day you are going to have to grow up."

"Nope." And all talking ceased as the elevator stopped on the ninth floor, and two women walked in. One he knew from working with her on the last project. Alanna smiled at him as she boarded with her companion, and bumped Ezio with her hip.

"Hey guys, finally taking that date you have always been talking about?" Her gray eyes sparkled with humor, causing the two of them to spit and sputter, getting a laugh from the woman next to her. "Hopefully you're going somewhere nice."

It was well known around the office that Leo preferred the males of the species, but Ezio was as straight as they came. The brunette glared at the female. "I think you've been hanging out with Altair too much. His cruelness has been rubbing off on you."

She laughed at him, causing Leo to grin. "For your information, I have not been hanging out with Altair at all. You're just an easy target." Then she gesture to her companion. "I'm being rude. Ezio, Leo, this is Sofia Sartor. Just moved her. Sofia, meet Leonardo da'Vinci, and Ezio Auditore." Then in a more dramatic whisper, she added. "Stay away from Ezio. You have been warned. He's nothing but trouble."

Ezio sneered, and Alanna smirked, causing both Leo and Sofia to laugh. "A pleasure to meet the two of you." Sofia smiled, and her voice caused him to blink rapidly.

"You're Italian?" He asked.

"_Si_. I came to the States to go to college and never left." Her eyes grazed over both of them, but lingered a little on Ezio. And to his amazement, so did Ezio's, but not in his normal way. More like he was trying to figure something out, type of look.

Before any of them could say another word, the elevator came to a stop at the bottom floor. Alanna waved. "See you around guys." And she walked off with Sofia.

Ezio's eyes watched them leave, and Leo couldn't help but grin broadly. "Admit it. You want to go ask her out."

His friend's head snapped around, and looked dumbly at Leo. "Who? Alanna?"

Grabbing the other man's sleeve, he pulled him along. "No you twit, Sofia. She's pretty, if you're into that sort of thing. Alanna's not bad either, but I believe you two would kill each other. Given half the chance."

Trying to play it cool, Ezio grinned. "You know you're seeing things, right? I think you need to go on a date."

Not one to pass up a chance to creep him out, Leo batted his eyes at him. "You offering? You are kind of hot." The most horrified look passed over Ezio face, causing Leo to crack up laughing. It always happened when he said shit like that. Most of the time it was just to get that reaction, but he would never admit out loud that he really did think his friend was hot. That might freak him out more. "Relax. Just messing with you once more, amico mio. You are so homophobic sometimes, it blows my mind."

Snorting, Ezio pushed open the glass door, and the two of them walked out into the sunshine. "For your information, I am not homophobic. It's just strange to hear you say that. I mean, we've been best friends for like forever. I think I was the first one you told that you liked guys. We used to share the same bed when you would sleep over."

That got a nod. He was. They had been in high school, and where Ezio and Federico were hitting on anything that had a pair of tits, Leo watched the track runners, and the jocks, trying to figure out why he wasn't like his friends. Sure, he tried to date a few women, but nothing panned out. The thought of having sex with them was, in a lack of a better term, unappealing.

The small café they normally visited came into view. They had good sandwiches, and a friendly atmosphere. The waiter wasn't half bad either, Leo thought with a grin. That was one of the reasons he went there all the time. That, and it was really close to the office.

Lucy and Rebecca were already there when they walked in, and gave a friendly wave. Most of the people at the office knew each other in and out of the workplace. He liked most of his co-workers and they made life interesting.

Taking a seat, they placed their orders, and Leo watched the retreating backside if the waiter. He was eye candy to be sure, but straight from what he had seen. He flirted with the women that sat around, but he was nice to guys as well. A good all-around guy.

After the drinks were sat down, Leo spoke to his friend. "So when is Federico's flight getting in?"

Looking down at his watch, Ezio sighed. "In a few hours. I have to be there around six. I hate going to the airport."

"Well, you'll get to see your brother. That has to be a plus." Federico didn't often visit the States, but when he did, it was a party. Both Auditores were playboys, but at least the eldest could reel his brother in when needed, but he could be just as bad at times.

Taking a sip if his pop, the brunette nodded. "Yeah, I have missed my brother."

**Sorry, I love to pick on Ezio. grins**


	10. Chapter 10

Desmond knew the moment he woke up that it was going to be one of those days that he should have called off work, stayed in bed, and read a book, but needing the rent money spurred his ass to climb out of bed, and go. When his motorcycle wouldn't start, and then when he was walking the two miles to the bar the rain came, he sighed heavily, knowing this was a sign of things yet to come. It was the universe's way of telling him he should have stayed home.

When he finally walked into the bar twenty minutes late for his shift, he found a sight that he never thought he would see. Ezio, Connor's cousin Edward, and Alanna, the girl that lived across from Altair, sitting around the table, eyes locked on each other. A few bills were sitting between them, and six empty shot glasses there as well.

Looking at his co-worker, Nate, he had to ask. "Alright, what the hell did I just walk into?"

Grinning, Nate leaned forward on the bar. "Well, Ezio made a comment to Edward that he could drink him under the table. Edward, of course, rebuffed that, telling Ezio that there was no chance in hell of that happening. Alanna somehow overheard, and said she could drink both of them under that table without a problem. Now, the three of them are in a challenge to see who can drink more without passing out, or puking. My money, if I had any, is on Edward."

Rolling his eyes, Desmond was not about to disagree. They had all seen what kind of alcohol the blonde could put away, and it was more than he could drink on a good night. But, to the woman's defense, he had seen Alanna drink copious amounts without passing out. Getting stupid, sure, but never passing out. Ezio, on the other hand, was not as adept to drinking hard liquor as the other two. The Italian could put away the wine, but actual liquor? Yeah, his roommate was going to lose this one.

"I'll get the mop ready, and I guess I should call Connor to come get Edward, and see if Kadar will take Alanna home. Ezio, well, I guess I'll call Leo. He'll come get the idiot." Putting a few glasses away, Desmond kept his eyes on the trio as they downed two more shots of what he found out to be Jack Daniels. Nate had just given then a bottle, and a six glasses. It was easier than carrying a shitload of shots over to them.

This 'entertainment' went on for roughly about a half hour before Ezio, after what Desmond could count had consumed eight shots of the whiskey, bowed out, laying his head on the table. Edward glared at Alanna as she took two more, putting her at ten. The girl wavered in her chair, but didn't fall. The older man's hand shook, but he got the shots down.

By the time they made it to twelve, both victims were so damn drunk, Desmond was pretty sure they couldn't see each other. Or at least one of each other. Altair had made his customary appearance for the night, but instead of taking his back table, the man pulled out a stool, and watched the whole thing like a bird of prey.

"Both are morons." Altair shook his head. "I guess I'll take her home. Whose got Edward and Ezio?"

"Leo should be here soon for Ezio, and Connor will be here in a few minutes to claim Edward." Desmond wiped down the bar with a sigh. "I swear, I think after this, I'm going to ban them for a few weeks. Either that or the hangover they'll all have in morning may ward off them doing it again."

Connor took that time to walk up. He must have heard the last part of the conversation. "You don't know Edward. That stupid ass would drink himself into a coma, wake up two days later laughing about it, and do it again."

Finally, it all came crashing down. Literally. Alanna reached for her shot, missed, and knocked it over into Edward's lap, causing him to fall backwards onto the floor. Ezio, who was passed out, lost balance on the table when it shifted, fell the opposite way, and crashed into the wooden floor, not once waking up. Since the agreement was the last one standing, or this instance, sitting, Alanna was declared the victor. That's when Altair stepped in to corral Alanna towards the door, but the woman had other ideas.

"Come on!" She tried in vain to stand, but when she did her legs wobbled like a newborn deer. "I am just fine." Her speech was slurred so bad that most people wouldn't have been able to understand her, but being around drunks five out of the seven days of the week, Desmond knew what she was saying.

"And you are completely wasted." Altair shook his head, holding the petite woman steady. "What the fuck possessed you to do that?"

She laughed, and wrapped her arms around her neighbor. "Because I could. Now, I want to rub it in their faces."

Desmond walked over at that time, taking Ezio's keys from the table, and pocketing them. "You can do that later, Alanna. Right now I think you need to let Altair take you home to sleep off the buzz."

"Buzz my ass." She snorted. "I am fucked up!" And laughing harder, she about fell down even with assistance. "Hey Des! Wanna tell you something."

Rolling his eyes, he knew he should just let Altair take her home. "What?"

"You are so adorable!" Peals of laughter left her lips. "But now I believe I'm ready to leave. Bu bye!" As they were heading for the door, he heard her say to Altair. "I think you like me because you are always the one to take me home when I do stupid shit."

There was a light chuckle. "Someone needs to watch out for your ass." And they were out the door.

Turning to Connor, who was trying to get Edward off the floor, the larger man growled. "Get your feet under you, idiot."

"I am not an idiot. Damn, you're worse than my mother." The blonde snorted, but did begin to get himself up. "No, you're worse than Haytham."

"Oh shut your maw and let's go. Be lucky you have me around to keep my father off your ass most of the time. Maybe, if you keep this up, I'm gonna let him know about your last night escapades to the bar." And that halted any resistance from Edward.

It took another ten minutes for Leo to show up to claim the intoxicated body of Ezio. Federico was in tow, and took one look at his brother, then laughed. "I hope he lasted a good bit."

"Eight shots, and he was done." The bartender smirked and nudged Ezio with the toe of his sneaker. "Hey, lazy ass, get up. Your ride's here."

A few muttered words of Italian escaped his lips, but no movement besides his mouth. So, Federico grabbed one arm, and Leo grabbing another, the two men hauled him to his feet. "Is his car here, or did he ride with someone?" Federico asked.

"I have his keys. I'll bring it home with me. Just make sure he doesn't puke all over the bathroom again. He has a bad habit about doing that." The last time Ezio had gotten drunk, he had made a mess of the bathroom, and it was left up to Desmond to clean it up.

With a few nods, they left, leaving him there to finish out his shift. At least he knew the remainder of the night might be dull, but after the day he had, he would take dull over excitement.


End file.
